Testing Times

Well we got here ok although I had to leave home at 1am on Tuesday morning to get to London for 1st flight, all went well and we were in our hotel 25 hours after leaving home!, it’s not all fun being a rally driver for Subaru USA.

I have been training twice a day for the last month 6 times a week but after all the hard work before the event I now find myself with a bad cold.

This morning we had our 1st gravel test of the year and after a few runs we tweaked the set-up a little and everything felt very good, the stage was a bit slower than the events stages so we have a second test planned on Friday morning.

The biggest problem we had today was the noise of stones coming through the intercom so we have had to make some changes to the helmets but all is good now.

Big day or Reece tomorrow so trying to get some rest and hope I feel better tomorrow!

Craig Drew 100 Acre Wood Rally

My final pre-rally checks are done, and it’s time to head to the 100 Acre Wood Rally, round 2 of the American Rally Championship. As a co-driver, paperwork is my life! But the more pre-event preparation I can do before an event, the easier the coming week will be, particularly when competing abroad.

The Subaru USA team are a great bunch of guys to work with. Everything is meticulously planned, making both mine and David’s job a lot easier. Although we have only done one event with the team so far, their professionalism and passion for the sport is clear to see. This makes me even more confident and optimistic of the season ahead!

Unfortunately our season didn’t get off to the best start with a DNF on round 1, the Sno*Drift Rally, but we aim to put that right this week. Although we only completed 5 stages, David and myself gelled well together, and can only get better together as the season goes on. It is important to quickly learn how a new team-mate works, how they like their notes delivered and generally how they like to work in testing and on the recce. I was impressed with David’s calm nature in the car and his excellent car control, and know that we have a good year ahead of us.

So onwards to Missouri, a very picturesque part of the States with fast gravel roads and lots of crests, which are sure to provide some spectacular action next week. I’ll be sure to keep you all informed with how we are doing.